Fourth New Orleans inmate captured after jail break; 6 others remain at large
Editor's note: Follow updates on the New Orleans jailbreak in Paste BN's May 20 coverage.
Four of 10 inmates who fled a New Orleans jail by climbing through a hole behind a toilet have been recaptured as the massive manhunt stretched into its fourth day, authorities said.
The fourth escapee, identified as Gary Price, 21, was taken into custody on May 19 in New Orleans, Louisiana State Police said in a news release. Price will be transported to a secure state facility outside of the area, according to state police.
Price is charged with attempted first-degree murder, domestic abuse, and aggravated assault, the Louisiana governor’s office said.
Ten inmates, who face a range of charges from aggravated assault and domestic abuse to murder, escaped from Orleans Parish Prison around 1 a.m. on May 16. The men pulled a "defective" cell door off its tracks and escaped through a hole in the wall behind a toilet and sink unit, according to Sheriff Susan Hutson of the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office.
Kendell Myles, Robert Moody, and Dkenan Dennis were back in custody within hours. As of May 19, six inmates — Corey Boyd, Leo Tate, Jermaine Donald, Derrick Groves, Lenton Vanburen, and Antoine Massey — remain at large.
Hundreds of federal, state, and local law enforcement officials are searching for the escapees. The youngest is 19, the oldest is 42.
FBI Special Agent Jonathan Trapp said he believes members of the public were helping the inmates elude authorities. The FBI is now offering $10,000 per inmate for information leading to an arrest. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is offering $5,000 per inmate and Crime Stoppers is offering another $5,000 per inmate.
"The FBI will work together to ensure that those people helping these inmates evade recapture will be held accountable," Trapp said at the news conference. "These inmates are accused of serious crimes, and until they are back in custody, we should all remain vigilant."
Did the inmates have help?
Orleans Parish Chief of Corrections Jeworski Mallett said the inmates couldn't have breached the wall near the toilets without outside assistance.
“It was more than just a breach of security, it was some type of help,” Mallett said.
Security footage captured the men tampering with a cell door, fleeing via a loading dock, and running across a highway. Hutson said a jail employee saw the men escaping through surveillance and failed to report it. "We have indication that these detainees received assistance in their escape from individuals inside of our department," Hutson said.
Following the incident, Hutson announced that three sheriff's office employees were suspended without pay, NOLA.com and local television station WGNO reported.
What were the inmates initially in jail for?
At least three of the escaped inmates are charged with murder or attempted murder, according to parish records. Myles, Moody, and Dennis ‒ the three recaptured inmates ‒ were awaiting trial on various felony charges, including attempted murder, armed robberies, aggravated assault, battery, extortion, illegally carrying weapons and illegal drug possession offenses, according to the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office.
It is unclear what additional charges any of the inmates might face following their escape.
Louisiana Gov. Landry calls for audit into New Orleans jail
During the May 18 news conference, Landry said the Louisiana Attorney General's Office will lead the investigation into the "massive jailbreak." The governor also said he ordered the state Department of Public Safety and Corrections to audit the Orleans Parish Prison for compliance with basic jail guidelines and to remove all inmates currently in the facility.
"There is no excuse for the escape of these violent offenders," Landry said. "There is also no excuse for the way these cases are currently being mismanaged in our criminal justice system."
Who are the inmates still on the run?
- Corey Boyd, 19, has been charged with second-degree murder, parish records show. He pleaded not guilty, the Associated Press reported. A news release from the governor’s office said Boyd also faced charges of obstruction of justice and threatening a law enforcement officer.
- Jermaine Donald, 42, was charged with second-degree murder, according to parish records. The governor's office said he also faced charges of aggravated battery and possession of a firearm, according to the governor's office. He pleaded not guilty in April 2024, the Times-Picayune/NOLA.com reported.
- Derrick Groves, 27, was convicted of two charges of second-degree murder and two charges of attempted second-degree murder in October in connection with a shooting during Mardi Gras in 2018, according to a statement from the district attorney’s office. Groves has been awaiting sentencing on a manslaughter charge since October, according to a news release from the governor’s office. He also faces a charge of battery against a correctional facility employee, the Associated Press reported, citing court records.
- Antoine T. Massey, 32, is charged with domestic abuse involving strangulation and theft of a motor vehicle, according to Orleans Parish records. There also is a warrant for his arrest in St. Tammany Parish for second-degree rape, second-degree kidnapping, domestic abuse involving strangulation and violation of a protective order involving battery stemming from an incident in November, a spokesperson for the parish's sheriff's office told Paste BN.
- Leo Tate, 31, was charged with burglary and drug possession, parish records show. The governor's office said Tate also was charged with theft of a motor vehicle and was sentenced in federal court for being a felon in possession of a firearm. NOLA.com reported Tate has also been sentenced to 10 years in prison for obstruction of justice, citing jail records.
- Lenton Vanburen, 26, was arrested on charges of second-degree murder and armed robbery, New Orleans police said. Vanburen also faced charges of possession of suboxone, an opioid often used to treat addiction, and battery of a correctional officer, according to parish records.
Contributing: Michael Loria, Paste BN